Safety door handle



April 17, 1956 T. c. SANTOS SAFETY DOOR HANDLE Filed Feb. 16, 1953 INVENTOR. THOMAS C. SANTOS HIS ATTORNEYS 2,742,314 SAFETY noon HANDLE Thomas C. Santos, Stateline, Calif. Application February 16,1953, Serial No. 337,179 2 Claims. 01. 292-3363) This invention relates to door hardware and more particularly to a safety handle for the door of a vehicle cab or the like. .In general this door handle is intended for use on the inside ,of the door of a passenger vehicle so as to prevent unintentional or accidental opening of .such door particulady by children.

'1 United States Patent ,One object of this invention is to provide a door handle constructed to'rotate freely relative to its mounting, but

operative to unlatch the door when .it is to be opened .Fig. 1 isa-fragmentary section through the cab of a passenger vehicle showing my new door handle on the inner side of the door thereof- Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the door handle of Fig. 1 and taken substantially along line 2-2 thereof.

Fig. 3 is across section of Fig. 2 and taken along line 3 -3 thereof.

I Fig. 4 is a cross section of Fig. 2 taken along line 4--4 thereof;

Fig. 5 is an explodedperspective of the door handle assembly shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of part of the door handle assembly.

In the drawings, the safety handle of the present invention, designated 10, includes a conventional handle lever 11 provided with a hub 12 adapted to be connected to a shaft 13 forming a part of a conventional door latch mechanism (not shown). In this connection, it should be understood that the present safety handle is adapted for use with the door hardware of most any car or automobile. For this reason, explanation of the action of the door latch will not be necessary other than to point out that the shaft 13 must be turned, for example, counterclockwise Fig. l, in order to operate the door latch mechanism.

The shaft 13 of the door latch mechanism is suitably supported between the inner and outer side walls of the vehicle door. As best seen in Fig. 2, the shaft 13 extends perpendicularly from the inner wall W of the door and beyond such wall W for connection to the safety handle 10 of the present invention. The shaft 13 illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 is square in cross section, it being understood however, that it may well be round or any other shape in cross section as necessity may require.

The safety handle 10, in addition to handle lever 11 and its hub 12 comprises an adapter 15 having an enlarged end 16 of circular cross section as well as a reduced end 17 which is likewise of circular cross section. The reduced end 17 of the adapter is bored axially and milled out as at 18 to a shape suitable to fit the extended end of 2,742,314 Patented Apr. 17, 1956 r 2 the shaft 13. This bore '18 in the adapter 15 .is slightly deeper than the distance which the shaft 13 extends from thewall W so as to receive the shaft 13 and dispose the hub 12 of the handle in .a recess19 of an escutcheon plate 20. The escutcheon plate is further recessed as at 21 to receive the reduced end 17 of the adapter '15 which is secured to the shaft 13 by a pin 22.

The hub 12 of the handle has an axial bore 24 which is of a ,size to fit vover the enlarged end 16 of .the adapter 15. The bore 24 of the hub is provided with a shoulder 25 against which the enlarged end 16 of the adapter abuts. As bestseen in Figs. 2 and 4, the enlarged end 16 of the adapter is provided with .an annular groove 26 for receiving locking pins 27 and 28. These locking pins 27 and 28 extend through .a pair of bores 29. and 30 disposed parallel to each other c'hordally of the cross section of the hub. 12 (see Fig. 4) whereby the hub is .free to turn about the adapter 15 although locked against axial movement relative thereto.

The axial bore 24 .of the hub .isof amany faceted shape, preferably hexagonal shape as at 31, outwardly relative to the shoulder 25, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5. The extreme outer end of the bore 24 is provided with .an circular opening 32 which is of a reduced size relative to the balance of theaxial .bore. A coupling device 33 in the form of a floating member is provided with a but- .ton 34 which extends through the Opening 32 in the extreme outer end of the hub 12. This coupling device 33 also has an enlarged end 35 of .a shape suitable for sliding lit in the hexagonally shaped. portion 31 of the axial bore 2401: the hub.

That surface 36 ofthe enlarged end 16 of the adapter, which faces the coupling device 33, is provided witha recess 37 of a shape comparable to that of the hexagonally shaped portion 31 of the axial bore .24 of the hub 12. it. will therefore be apparent that when the hexagonal facetsof the recess 37 of thecoupli-ng device v33 register with those of the hexagonally shaped portion 3.1 of the bore 24, the enlarged hexagonal end 35 of the coupling device 33 can slide into the recess 37. In this manner the hexagonal end .35 of the coupling device 33 serves to key the hub 12 to the adapter .15 so that the latter will turn with the handlell when the latter :is manipulated.

As best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, the abutting faces of both the adapter 15 and the coupling device 33 are provided with a recess 38 and 39, respectively, for receiving one or the other end of a compression spring 40. This spring 40 is of a normal length to urge the coupling device away from the adapter 15 which is fixed relatively to the axis of the hub 12. Consequently, the device 33 is normally urged into its outermost position, i. e., with the knob portion of the button freely extended beyond the circular opening 32 at the outer end of the hub. In this manner, the enlarged, hexagonal end 35 of the coupling device is normally yieldably held out of coupling engagement with the recess 37 formed in the adapter 15. Moreover, the coupling device 33 is limited in its outward movement by engagement of its enlarged, hexagonally shaped portion 31 with the annular flange 42 by and through which the opening 32 is formed.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the safety door handle 10 is normally disposed in the condition illustrated in Fig. 2. In this condition, the spring 49 has forced the floating member or coupling device 33 completely out of engagement with the recess 37 formed in the adapter 15. Consequently, any turning of the handle 11 about and relative to the axis of the shaft 13 will not efiect turning of the adapter 15. In this connection it will be noted that the handle 11, although free to turn about the adapter 15, is secured against axial movement relative thereto by reason of the parallel locking pins 27 and 28 riding around the annular groove 26 formed in the periphery of the adapter. However, when the button 34 is pressed inwardly relative to the hub 12, the coupling device 33 will slide into the recess 37 formed in the adapter 15, that is, when the hexagonally shaped enlarged portion 31 registers with the'similarly shaped recess 37. Thus the spring 40 is compressed allowing the portion 35 to couple the hub 12 to the adapter 15 whereupon turning of the handle 11 likewise effects turning of the adapter 15 and shaft 13.

While I have explained my safety door handle in specific detail it will be apparent that the same is susceptible to modification, alteration and/ or variation without departing from the spirit of my invention. I, therefore, desire to avail myself of all modifications, alterations, and/ or variations as fairly come within the purview of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a safety door handle of the free turning type for use on a bolt actuating shaft; the combination therewith of an adapter keyed to said shaft for turning therewith, a hub mounted on said adapter for turning movement about the same, a handle on said hub for facilitating manual turning thereof, said adapter having an annular groove on its periphery, a pin extending chordally through said hub and the annular groove in said adapter for securing said hub against axial movement relative to said adapter although permitting free turning of said hub about said adapter, said hub having a hexagonally shaped recess terminating in an opening in the extreme end of said hub and defined by an annular flange extending inwardly of the hexagonal recess, a normally outwardly biased floating coupling member having a button head extending through said opening in said hub for manual access exteriorly thereof, said coupling member having a shape conforming to said hexagonally shaped recess for receipt by the latter and turning movement therewith, and abutting said annular flange during outward bias of said coupling member, said adapter having a hexagonally shaped recess conforming to the one formed in said hub and adapted to register with the latter to afford manual shifting of said outwardly biased coupling member from within said hub and into the hexagonally shaped recess in said adapter to thereby couple the adapter to said hub for turning movement together when said handle is so manipulated.

'2'. In a safety door handle of the free turning type for use on a bolt actuating shaft; the combination therewith of an adapter keyed to said shaft for turning therewith, a hub mounted on said adapter for turning movement about the same, a handle on said hub for facilitating manual turning thereof, said adapter having an annular groove on its periphery, a pin extending chordally through said hub and the annular groove in said adapter for securing said hub against axial movement relative to said adapter although permitting free turning of said hub about said adapter, said hub having a hexagonally shaped recess terminating in an opening in the extreme end of said hub and defined by an annular flange extending inwardly from the hexagonal recess, a floating coupling member having a button head extending through the opening in said hub, said coupling member having a shape conforming to said hexagonally shaped recess for receipt by the latter and turning movement therewith, said adapter having a hexagonally shaped recess conforming to the one formed in said hub adaptedto register with the latter to afford shifting of said coupling member within the registered recesses of said adapter and hub to thereby couple the adapter to said hub for turning movement together when saidhandle is so manipulated, said coupling member having a recess seat formed in that inner face thereof exposed to said adapter and axially of the line of movement of said coupling member within the hexagonal recesses in said hub and adapter, said adapter having a recess seat formed in that face thereof exposed to said coupling member and in axial alignment with the recess formed on the inner face thereof, and spring means having its opposite ends seated in the recess seats formed on the coupling member and said adapter for urging said coupling member out of the hexagonal recess formed in said adapter and into abutting relation with the annular flange formed on said hub fornorrnally uncoupling the said adapter from said hub.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Thousand Nov. 4, 1952 

